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Arthritis sufferers forced to take time off work will cost the economy 3.43 billion a year by 2030, according to new research.

The two most common forms of the condition, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, currently cost the UK economy 2.58 billion annually through 25 million lost working days.

But this will jump further by 900,000 more lost working days for the condition which costs the NHS and the wider healthcare system 10.2 billion every year.

Over the course of the next decade, an estimated 118.6 billion will be spent on the condition.

The figures were published by Arthritis Research UK, which is launching a campaign to raise the profile of the condition.

The research detailed in the report titled the Nations Joint Problem report, reveals the current and future impact of the condition on the economy, the NHS as well as families and individuals across the UK.

One-in-six people currently have OA and RA, and this is predicted to rise to one-in-five by 2050.

Experts predict that by then the figures will increase to 27.2 million working days and, an annual cost of 4.74 billion.

Arthritis is an umbrella term used to describe painful conditions that affect the bones, muscles and joints in all parts of the body.

Even though nine-in-ten people with arthritis (88%) describe it as a debilitating and life-restricting condition, the report reveals the condition is largely invisible from the public and even an acceptable, part of getting older.

The research suggests sufferers find there is also a stigma attached to the condition, which is often dismissed as an old persons disease, even though arthritis impacted on people of all ages.

Anne Kearl, 55, who has osteoarthritis, said: Pain is normal to me. Its always there. I may paint a smile on my face, but I will be hurting all over.

"Its had a big impact on my mental health; pain and depression feed off each other and in my experience, its hard to separate them out a lot of the time.

"I never know when I wake up if Im going to have a good day or a just got to get through it day. Thats the reality for me of living with arthritis.

"Because arthritis is invisible people other than my family dont see the reality. When friends and colleagues cant physically see anything wrong with you, they assume youre OK and often I let people think that rather than be honest about my arthritis."

Liam OToole, Chief Executive of Arthritis Research UK, said: "There is a complete mismatch between the enormous impact arthritis has on individuals, their families and society and the attention, priority and resources society currently gives to it.

"As a result, people with arthritis do not get the help or support that they need. We are all losing out.

"Whether its an employer who loses out on the skills of an employee, a child who misses out on playing with their parents or grandparents, the strain on the NHSs resources, or someone with arthritis who is trying to get through every day in pain, the impact of arthritis is being felt across the whole of society."

More here:
'Invisible' arthritis to cost UK economy 3.43 billion a year through sufferers taking time off work - Mirror.co.uk

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